Wilderness – Season 1 Episode 5 “Like Mother, Like Daughter” Recap & Review

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Episode 5 of Wilderness picks up where the previous episode left off. Caryl, Liv’s mum, drops by to see if her daughter is doing okay. Following this, Liv reassures her mother that she is doing fine and that things between her and Will are progressing smoothly. Her mother, though, has her reservations and doesn’t believe her.

While in custody, Garth is the subject of an investigation. It’s clear to the detectives that he’s not being truthful about what happened the night Cara was killed. They also have evidence that disproves his account claiming he was with Cara at the time he mentioned.

When Will returns home, he is taken aback to see Carryl waiting for him. His biggest concern is that Liv has told Carryl about his affair. Will confronts Liv privately, and she insists that she didn’t tell her, although their conversation is marked by some hostility on her part.

Liv gets another visit from investigator Rawlings. Liv attempts to get out of the issue by saying she has to leave. The detective, however, is adamant that she be questioned. While talking to the detective, Liv tells her that Garth displayed possessiveness towards Cara.

The investigator quickly follows up by telling Garth about what Liv mentioned in an attempt to elicit antagonism between the two. She does this to find out more about Liv and to catch him off guard, but none of those things end up happening.

Liv and Will have dinner together later that night. He then convinces her to start a family with him. After some convincing, she agrees to it. Caryl, in the meantime, has been snooping around Will and Liv’s place. She wants to make sure her daughter is safe, so she’s looking for proof that supports her suspicions about Will.

She gives Liv the polaroids she discovered in Will’s drawer the following day. The polaroids are not of Cara, but rather of a different woman with whom Will had an affair. Liv, though, doesn’t see the polaroids at first. Carryl urges Liv to return with her to their home. Liv tells her mother that she killed Cara by accident as she saw no other way out of the situation. Carryl leaves after an emotional conversation.

In the episode’s closing minutes, Liv confronts Will about the polaroids. After some investigation, she determines that the photos aren’t of Cara and that he was having an affair with another woman. Will discloses that he slept with Cara’s best friend Marissa before Cara.

As soon as Garth walks in, their conversation abruptly ends. Will confesses his affair with Cara as Garth threatens Liv with a gun. Liv hits Garth in the final seconds of the episode to defend herself, and the episode comes to a close.

The Episode Review

The central focus of episode 5 of Wilderness is the visit of Caryl, Liv’s mother. Furthermore, during the course of this episode, Liv learns that Will had an extramarital affair with Marissa, who happens to be Cara’s closest friend, prior to his involvement with Cara. Furthermore, the episode concludes with Liv hitting Garth on the head multiple times in self-defence.

The narrative structure of the show exhibits a lack of coherence and clarity. The series has numerous narrative inconsistencies while striving to generate sensational scenarios that lack substantive complexity.

Moreover, the production notably falls short in its ability to generate curiosity or evoke a sense of excitement among the viewers. In addition, it is worth noting that the character arcs are terribly disappointing. With the impending finale of the series, it has yet to be known whether Liv will face the consequences of her involvement in the deaths of Cara and Garth.